Quilting Bee Sampler Quilt

Hello again, I’m Shannon from Modern Tradition Quilts and it is an honor for me to be with you today at Moda Bake Shop. As a quilter, I love big modern prints and Kate Spain’s newest fabric line, Daydreams. It is full of awesome fabrics. These prints are so beautiful, they are inspiring. These fabrics are so bright and fun that they leave me daydreaming about the beach–which is great since there is a foot of snow outside! I also enjoy using traditional quilt blocks made from newer techniques, such as those utilized when sewing with pre-cut fabrics. I hope you enjoy this quilting bee sampler as it is a traditional style quilt in modern fabrics.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: As always, please read through all the instructions prior to beginning any project. Unless otherwise indicated, all seam allowances are 1/4 inch. I recommend testing that your quilting foot and pressing is actually creating a 1/4 inch seam allowance prior to beginning this project and making any necessary adjustments. This will help the pieced border fit the patchwork more readily. Press all seams in the direction of least bulk unless otherwise indicated. Also, trim all dog-ears on your half-square triangles (HSTs) as this will help intersecting points lie flat. And last, but not least, to ensure that your points do not get blunted when they are attached to sashing and borders, always sew with the HSTs on top. face-down with right sides of fabrics together and away from the feed dogs. This way you can see the top point of your piecing.

CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Cut your layer cake in half to yield a 5 inch strip. Reserve one half for another project and cut the other half into two sets of 5-inch squares.

Cut border fabrics along the lengthwise grain:

White outside border: cut four, 2 1/2 inches wide by 60 inches long

Pink outside border: cut four, 7 1/2 inches wide by 84 inches long.

Cut teal setting triangles to ensure the bias edge goes against the piecing and not the outer pieced edge:

Cut one large square measuring 24 inches. Cut these in half diagonally, and then again to yield 4 triangles measuring 16 1/2 inches tall by 24 inches long. These are the setting triangles.

Cut two triangles measuring 12 1/2 inches square. Cut these in half diagonally, each square yielding two triangles. Yield: 4 total squares for the outside corners of the setting.

Note: All of the blocks use half-square triangle units (HSTs) in different orientations. However, some of the blocks use a different number of them. I recommend sewing the HTSs for each individual block as you go, not chain piecing all the HSTs at once. This will help with the color coordination as well as keeping you from sewing HSTs that are not needed.

Use this layout diagram to create the Mosaic Tile block. Sort 8 blue charm squares and 8 white squares to create this block

To create the half-square triangle units (this technique is used to create all HSTs throughout):

Draw a diagonal line down the center of all of the white Bella solids charm squares.

Layer one 5-inch charm square on top of your 5-inch charm square print.

Sew down both sides.

Cut these in half on the drawn line.

Press all squares open and toward the print fabric.

Layout all HST units and check them with the layout diagram prior to sewing the block together. I like to have the stronger prints creating the center diamond, but you can play around and make it how you like it.

Here’s the sewn block:

Use this layout diagram to create the Whirlpool, also known as a Windblown block. Sort 8 red and pink charm squares and 8 white charm squares.

To create the half-square triangle units follow the same method of creating the HST units as shown in the Mosaic Tile block.

Layout all HST units and check them with the layout diagram prior to sewing the block together. As the charm square is cut in half diagonally, it yields two identical HST units. These paired end to end create a diamond.

When I layout my blocks with a diamond shape in them, I layout the paired HST units creating the diamond first. This ensures my block “spins” correctly. It also allows me to check the orientation of my pieces while sewing the block.

Now add the outside flying geese units with points going in.

And..the finished block:

Use this layout diagram to create the Yankee Puzzle block. Sort 8 yellow and orange charm squares and 8 white squares for this block.

To create the half-square triangle units follow the same method of creating the HST units as shown in the Mosaic Tile block.

As in the previous block, when I layout my blocks with a diamond shape first. This ensures my block “spins” correctly. It also allows me to check the orientation of my pieces while sewing the block.

Now add the rest of the pieces.

And…the finished block:

Use this layout diagram to create the Clay’s Choice block. Set aside 4 green charm squares and 4 white squares for the outer block edges. Trim these to measure 4 1/2 inches. Sort 4 more green squares and 4 more white charm squares and sew them into HST units as previously shown.

As in the previous block, when I layout my blocks with a diamond shape in them, I layout the paired HST units creating the diamond first. This ensures my block “spins” correctly. It also allows me to check the orientation of my pieces while sewing the block. Then add the remaining pieces.

And the finished block:

Use this layout diagram to create the Flying X block. Set aside 4 print charm squares and 4 white squares for the outer block edges. Trim these to measure 4 1/2 inches. Sort 4 more multi-colored charm squares and 4 more white charm squares and sew them into HST units as previously shown.

In this block, I layout the pinwheel center first, then add the remaining pieces.

For all blocks:Trim the blocks to a 16 1/2 inch square.

PIECING THE CENTER:

Add the sashing lattice to the blocks.

Note: Sashing will over-hang the setting triangles to be put in later and this excess will be trimmed away and squared in the final squaring of the patchwork center. (This photo shows it being trimmed away at a later step. I just thought I’d give you a “heads-up” now so you don’t worry when you see the over-hang.)

Assembly diagram of adding the sashing to the end blocks.

Sew a 2 1/2 inches by 16 1/2 inches strip to both sides of the Yankee Puzzle and Flying X and blocks.

Sew a 2 1/2 inch strip by 20 1/2 inch strip to one side of the Yankee Puzzle and Flying X blocks.

Assembly diagram of adding the sashing to the center blocks.

Sew a 2 1/2 inches by 16 1/2 inches strip to both sides of the Mosaic Tile block.

Sew the Whirlpool block to one side of the Mosaic Tile block and the Clay’s Choice to the other side of the Mosaic Tile block. Add the two 2 1/2 inch by 58 inch strips to this pieced unit. Trim away excess to fit the length.

Finish the outside edges by adding a 2 1/2 inch strip by 20 1/2 inch strip to the remaining edge of the Whirlpool and Clay’s Choice blocks.

ADD THE SETTING TRIANGLES

Sew the 16 1/2 inch by 24 inch triangles to both sides of the Yankee Puzzle and Clay’s Choice block.

When this strip is finished, sew these two units to the center patchwork blocks. Do not worry that the sashing sticks out of the setting triangles. It is part of the design and will be trimmed away later.

Add the four outer 12 1/2 inch triangles to the remaining four corners.

Piecing Diagram

ADD BORDERS:

Sew the HST border using the method shown in the Mosaic Tile block section.

Sew left and right hand side borders, both consisting of 12 pieces. Refer to the layout diagram for placement.

Sew the top and bottom borders, both consisting of 14 pieces. Refer to the layout diagram for placement.

Sawtooth border diagram. This diagram shows 16 pieces, but you only need 14.

TO EASE IN THE HST BORDER:

Measure the ironed finished length of the 12-piece HST border. It should be 50 1/2 inches long.

Note: Often there are variations in piecing and pressing that could get these two to differ. If your quilt top does not measure up, square the center patchwork section to measure the same as your 12-piece HST border. (Ah-ha! So this is where we trim off the sashing overhang!)

Iron the quilt top folded in half twice to create creases showing the panel’s center. Pin-match the center of the HST border with these creases and pin from the center out. Sew on the HST units border.

Sew on the outer borders starting with the 2 1/2 inch border, then add the 7 inch border.

Quilt as desired!

Assembly diagram with borders.

Finished quilt top measures 81 inches square.

Note: If you choose to make this project omitting the saw-tooth border, you will only need one 42-piece print charm pack and one 42-piece Bella solids charm pack.

Here is an alternate colorway using the modern gray back-grounds instead of the white. Also this has a saw-tooth border variation where all the HSTs face the same direction. I like it too!

Here are some photos of how I quilted the top. I just fell in love with this fabric and had to do some crazy free-motion quilting on it. I hope you like the ideas.

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